Alien Director's Cut Blu-Ray Review

Rated R (Sci-Fi Violence/Gore and Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 57 Minutes

Cast-

Tom Skerritt-Captain Dallas

Sigourney Weaver-Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley

Veronica Cartwright-Navigator Lambert

Harry Dean Stanton-Engineering Technician Brett

John Hurt-Executive Officer Kane

Ian Holm-Science Officer Ash

Yaphet Kotto-Chief Engineer Parker

Helen Horton (voice)-Mother, Ship's Computer

Bolaji Badejo-The Alien

Directed by Ridley Scott 

Still terrifying three decades later.

Note: Part of the "Alien Anthology" Blu-Ray box set.

‘This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.’ Even after thirty-one years, Ridley Scott’s science fiction/horror masterpiece “Alien” has not even come close to being surpassed by any other film, with the exception of James Cameron’s action-packed sequel, “Aliens.” The film arrived at a time when interest in science fiction were at an all-time high with movie audiences thanks to George Lucas’ equally amazing “Star Wars” in 1977 but “Alien” was as far removed as you would imagine a science fiction film to be. With its methodical pacing and an atmosphere built on suspense and dread, “Alien” bore more of a resemblance to the original “Halloween” than “Star Wars.”  With one film, Scott created one of the most memorable and terrifying menaces we hope to never encounter in space.

Set during an unspecified time period in the future, the commercial towing spaceship Nostromo is returning to Earth carrying a payload of twenty million tons of mineral ore and its crew of seven. The ship’s computer receives a transmission of unknown origin and wakes the crew from hyper-sleep. Despite some opposition from Chief Engineer Parker (Yaphet Kotto), Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) says they have to investigate as they are under orders from their corporate employers or else they won’t get paid. Tracking the signal to a nearby planetoid, Dallas, Executive Officer Kane (John Hurt) and Navigator Lambert (Veronica Cartwright) set out and discover a derelict spacecraft with a fossilized alien life-form and a cargo of inconspicuous eggs. Kane disturbs one of the eggs and a creature attaches itself to his face. Dallas and Lambert carry the unconscious Kane back to the ship but Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) refuses to break quarantine protocol. Science Officer Ash (Ian Holm), however, overrides her and opens the hatch. At the infirmary, Ash reveals that removing the creature might kill Kane and eventually, it falls off on its own, apparently dead. As everything returns to normal, the crew has one last meal before going back to hyper-sleep but Kane suddenly gags and begins choking. A blood stain forms on his chest and it bloodily breaks apart, revealing another creature that screeches and scampers off into the ship’s air ducts. The rest of the crew, lacking any conventional weapons, arm themselves using electric prods and makeshift flamethrowers with a motion tracker to try and capture the creature. The Alien, now fully-grown, begins to methodically kill off the crew one-by-one. In the vast coldness of space, no one can hear you scream.

“Alien” offers a very simple story and the minimalist approach works to the film’s advantage, extending to its title. It does not waste time on unnecessary exposition; all you need to know is that there’s a killer alien on the loose and its killing people. Horror films such as the aforementioned “Halloween” offered a similar premise but “Alien” marked the first time where the setting took place in space, away from the familiar surroundings of Earth, where you were truly isolated with no hope of help. No time is spent on building the characters and when we first meet them as they emerge from hyper-sleep, there’s a genuine feeling of familiarity with the crew as they eat and engage in lively conversation. They may live in the future, but these people work just like you and me; for them, this is just another paycheck. The Nostromo bears little resemblance to any familiar spaceship design, with its irregular shape and jagged edges. The interior, although technologically advanced, feels worn and claustrophobic with its dark corridors and lack of lighting. This helps build the atmosphere once the Alien runs amok, where every dark crevice could spell death for the crew. We are only afforded fleeting glances of the creature, allowing our imaginations to fill in the blanks. Created by Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger and based on his 1976 painting Necronom IV, the Alien displayed deviant sexual overtones. For it to reproduce, the egg hatches a ‘facehugger’ that impregnates the host orally and was dubbed by writer Ronald Shusett as a form of ‘alien interspecies rape.’ After some time, the facehugger falls off and dies until, in a twisted, violent variant of childbirth, the larval stage of the Alien, called a ‘chestburster,’ broke free by breaking apart its hosts’ chest cavity, effectively killing him/her. The fully mature Alien had a slender, almost feminine form but its head took on a Phallic shape with no eyes and its mouth revealed a set of Pharyngeal jaws attached to a proboscis in place of a tongue, which can be extended to violently ‘penetrate’ its victims. However, it acts differently toward the female crew members, taking pleasure in toying with them instead. When it kills, Scott does not dwell on the gore and we are only shown glimpses of a grisly aftermath. After the release of the film, the Alien grew to become one of the world’s most recognizable movie monsters and was named the 14th most memorable villain by the American Film Institute.

The cast includes a number of respected actors, including John Hurt and Ian Holm. Although none of it appears in the final film, Scott had written back-stories for all the characters to facilitate a sense of camaraderie while shooting. Among them was then-unknown Sigourney Weaver and “Alien” rocketed her and Scott to superstardom. The idea of having the hero as a female in an action/adventure film was unheard of at the time. Many believed that Tom Skerritt’s Dallas was the main character not just because he was the captain of the ship and received top billing, but because he was a man. Many of today’s action heroines owe a debt to Ripley, although her tough-as-nails, no-nonsense attitude is actually attributed to Cameron’s sequel. Here, she plays a more supporting role until the film’s dénouement.

“Alien” arrives in high definition courtesy of the “Alien Anthology” set on Blu-Ray, which includes a whopping six discs. Considering the fact that it was made in 1979, the film has never looked better and the higher resolution allows you to notice even more details in the architecture, specifically the derelict spaceship and the interior hallways of the Nostromo. Blacks are vivid and on the whole, “Alien” looks like it was filmed today! Audio is much more subdued as Jerry Goldsmith’s score is used sparingly but dialogue is crisp and the various sound effects for the ship, from the dripping water to the hissing metal pipes, add to an already immersive experience.

“Alien” was released on May 25, 1979 and has received lasting critical acclaim with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Visual Effects (which it won) and Costume Design and Weaver herself was also nominated for a BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role. Shot on a small production budget of $11 million, the film earned $105 million worldwide, including re-releases. Roger Ebert perfectly sums up why “Alien” remains a science fiction masterpiece: ‘One of the great strengths of [the film] is its pacing. It takes its time. It waits. It allows silences. It suggests the enormity of the crew's discovery by building up to it with small steps.’ Most people have already made up their minds about “Alien” but I still shockingly discover people who have never viewed the film. There’s really no excuse and with it finally out on Blu-Ray, a new generation can discover and become lifelong fans. There have been many imitations, but they are just that, imitations. “Alien” is perfect—in every aspect.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? A perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. I admire its purity. A survivor...unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."